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Mutations in genes encoding ribosomal proteins have been identified in Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), a rare genetic disorder that presents with a prominent erythroid phenotype. TP53 has been implicated in the pathophysiology of DBA with ribosomal protein (RP) L11 playing a crucial role in the TP53 response. Interestingly, RPL11 also controls the transcriptional activity of c-Myc, an oncoprotein that positively regulates ribosome biogenesis. In the present study, we analyzed the consequences of rpl11 depletion on erythropoiesis and ribosome biogenesis in zebrafish. As expected, Rpl11-deficient zebrafish exhibited defects in ribosome biogenesis and an anemia phenotype. However, co-inhibition of Tp53 did not alleviate the erythroid aplasia in these fish. Next, we explored the role of c-Myc in RPL11-deficient cellular and animal models. c-Myc and its target nucleolar proteins showed upregulation and increased localization in the head region of Rpl11-deficient zebrafish, where the morphological abnormalities and tp53 expression were more pronounced. Interestingly, in blood cells derived from DBA patients with mutations in RPL11, the biogenesis of ribosomes was defective, but the expression level of c-Myc and its target nucleolar proteins was unchanged. The results suggest a model whereby RPL11 deficiency activates the synthesis of c-Myc target nucleolar proteins, which subsequently triggers a p53 response. These results further demonstrate that the induction of Tp53 mediates the morphological, but not erythroid, defects associated with RPL11 deficiency., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia is a congenital bone marrow failure syndrome that is characterized by red blood cell aplasia. The disease has been associated with mutations or large deletions in 11 ribosomal protein genes including RPS7, RPS10, RPS17, RPS19, RPS24, RPS26, RPS29, RPL5, RPL11, RPL26 and RPL35A as well as GATA1 in more than 50% of patients. However, the molecular aetiology of many Diamond-Blackfan anaemia cases remains to be uncovered. To identify new mutations responsible for Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, we performed whole-exome sequencing analysis of 48 patients with no documented mutations/deletions involving known Diamond-Blackfan anaemia genes except for RPS7, RPL26, RPS29 and GATA1. Here, we identified a de novo splicing error mutation in RPL27 and frameshift deletion in RPS27 in sporadic patients with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia. In vitro knockdown of gene expression disturbed pre-ribosomal RNA processing. Zebrafish models of rpl27 and rps27 mutations showed impairments of erythrocyte production and tail and/or brain development. Additional novel mutations were found in eight patients, including RPL3L, RPL6, RPL7L1T, RPL8, RPL13, RPL14, RPL18A and RPL31. In conclusion, we identified novel germline mutations of two ribosomal protein genes responsible for Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, further confirming the concept that mutations in ribosomal protein genes lead to Diamond-Blackfan anaemia., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is a cancer-prone genetic disorder characterized by pure red-cell aplasia and associated physical deformities. The ribosomal protein S19 gene (RPS19) is the most frequently mutated gene in DBA (~25%). TP53-mediated cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in erythroid cells have been suggested to be major factors for DBA development, but it is not clear why mutations in the ubiquitously expressed RPS19 gene specifically affect erythropoiesis. Previously, we showed that RPS19 deficiency in zebrafish recapitulates the erythropoietic and developmental phenotypes of DBA, including defective erythropoiesis with severe anaemia. In this study, we analysed the simultaneous loss-of-function of RPS19 and Tp53 in zebrafish to investigate the role of Tp53 in the erythroid and morphological defects associated with RPS19 deficiency. Co-inhibition of Tp53 activity rescued the morphological abnormalities, but did not alleviate erythroid aplasia in RPS19-deficient zebrafish. In addition, knockdown of two other RP genes, rps3a and rpl36a, which result in severe morphological abnormalities but only mild erythroid defects, also elicited an activated Tp53 response. These results suggest that a Tp53-independent but RPS19-dependent pathway could be responsible for defective erythropoiesis in RPS19-deficient zebrafish., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Ribosomes are responsible for protein synthesis in all cells. Ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19) is one of the 79 ribosomal proteins (RPs) in vertebrates. Heterozygous mutations in RPS19 have been identified in 25% of patients with Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), but the relationship between RPS19 mutations and the pure red-cell aplasia of DBA is unclear. In this study, we developed an RPS19-deficient zebrafish by knocking down rps19 using a Morpholino antisense oligo. The RPS19-deficient animals showed a dramatic decrease in blood cells as well as deformities in the head and tail regions at early developmental stages. These phenotypes were rescued by injection of zebrafish rps19 mRNA, but not by injection of rps19 mRNAs with mutations that have been identified in DBA patients. Our results indicate that rps19 is essential for hematopoietic differentiation during early embryogenesis. The effects were specific to rps19, but knocking down the genes for three other RPs, rpl35, rpl35a and rplp2, produced similar phenotypes, suggesting that these genes might have a common function in zebrafish erythropoiesis. The RPS19-deficient zebrafish will provide a valuable tool for investigating the molecular mechanisms of DBA development in humans.